Articles posted today

The Council of Europe last week released a report criticizing the Czech Republic for the way it treats people with mental disabilities. The criticism targeting the living conditions and rights of this most vulnerable segment of the population is not the first of its kind. The Czech authorities have previously come under fire for using caged beds in mental institutions. On a fact-finding visit to the Czech Republic, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks went further, arguing that many of the patients in mental institutions could be living a more dignified life outside of these walls.

Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez arrived in the Czech Republic this week on what is her first trip abroad since Cuba's communist authorities partially lifted restrictions on travelling. Ms Sanchez, best known for her acclaimed blog Generation Y, is attending the One World festival of human rights documentaries in the Czech capital.

A group of MPs in the lower house are drafting a new bill on legalising prostitution – the third such attempt in recent years. Prostitution in the Czech Republic exists in a sort of legal grey area; prostitution itself is not illegal, but most of the infrastructure surrounding it - brothels, pimping and so on – is.